Making professional connections at the Holiday Humbug

The CPRS Hamilton annual Holiday Humbug is a great opportunity to grow your network and to meet other communications professionals. CPRS Hamilton mentorship program participants met prior to the Humbug to discuss networking tips. Here’s some advice shared:

Start with a plan

Be purpose driven

As with all good PR plans, have a goal and objective – even if it is to make just one connection

Prepare a few conversation starters

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date

Do some research ahead of time – often at these events people must register, and their name is listed on the registration page

Check out event guests on LinkedIn or Twitter, but most importantly, look to see if you have any common connections

Mentee Tianna (left) asking the group a networking question.

Conversation starters

Making the initial connection at a networking event can seem like a daunting task, but if you have a few questions in mind, and a few specific areas of interest, being prepared can help ease your mind going into a networking situation.

One great way to start a conversation is to ask for advice. Most people like to talk about themselves, so find out more about the other person, or find someone you know and ask them to introduce you to one of their colleagues. If you’re interested in the healthcare industry, you can ask them if they know anything about it, or someone that does.

As you are talking, if you discover common interests build on that by asking more questions, but focus on keeping the conversation casual. Topics of discussion could include what you have done professionally, key interests, and even volunteer experience.

Possible questions to ask:

What do you do?

How long have you been a member of CPRS?

Do you have any pointers/tips you can provide for new practitioners starting in the field?

CPRS Hamilton

The Canadian Public Relations Society, Hamilton is the voice for the professional development, promotion and recognition of professional public relations practitioners in Hamilton, Halton, Niagara and Southwestern Ontario.